


ΛsHEs

by WaiiKitsune



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akechi Goro Lives, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:34:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26263507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaiiKitsune/pseuds/WaiiKitsune
Summary: Desperation is letting adrenaline take over until you could feel nothing but the fire burning in your veins.And in the engine room, Akiraburns.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 3
Kudos: 220





	ΛsHEs

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by the lovely [kilala2tail](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kilala2tail) and [Lightning515](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lightning515)~ 

Akechi Goro has known for a long time that Akira was a Phantom Thief. He just couldn’t confirm Akira is the _leader_ until much later.

Kurusu Akira has long suspected that Goro is highly likely the Black Mask they have been told about. There was no way for him to confirm until Goro confessed it to them. 

In the engine room, fueled by anger and rage and desperation, Goro burns.

And so does Akira.

“You’re going down… I’ll destroy you...” Akechi smiles, eyes wide and laugh maniacal. “Go down with me!!” 

“Akechi, _don’t_ —” Akira shouts. 

“That bastard… he made himself go psychotic!” 

Akira barely hears Ryuji curse beside him over the roar in his ears; he can barely concentrate on what’s happening at all over the feel of his entire body being set on fire from within. His blood is pumping, his head is spinning, and his mind is a confused mess as he desperately tries to cling onto his own sanity. Akira swears he only managed to succeed through sheer force of will and the control that he has, trained from managing several Personas—a dozen different voices in his head, different opinions, different thoughts—over the past year. 

_‘Shit.'_ Akira thinks. _'_ _So this is what that feels like.'_

“Here it comes!” Morgana screams.

Akira feels like he’s scorching in an inferno. 

It takes all of his mental strength to even switch personas at this point, much less think of any kind of strategy. Brave Blade cuts into Thor much harder than he’d expected since the persona resists physical damage, and Akira only remembers much later, when his nerves have finally stopped burning and his mind clears, that Akechi’s true Persona was _Loki_. Akira couldn’t even scrape together enough mental strength to call out any commands; luckily, the Phantom Thieves have been fighting together for a long time and cooperation came easy to them even when Joker was near-incapitated—which Akira is, right now. 

Akechi targets Akira almost exclusively unless he is using a wide-range attack, and Akira feels every single one of those attacks cutting into his very _soul_. The fact that _Akechi_ is trying to kill them—to kill _him_ —hurts Akira more than the attacks being thrown at him. 

His body and soul are both burning to _ashes_. 

_Was this how it was meant to be for them?_

“Akechi…” Akira tries again, calling for Oberon to cast Ziodyne. The attack hits and Akira feels his nerves twitching at the shock, but Akechi looks unbothered, striking back at Akira with another attack. A cold feeling washes over him, and Akira feels what little hope he had been clinging to leave him. He vaguely hears the other Phantom Thieves shouting something in the background, but Akira couldn’t hear any of it over the sound of him drowning.

 _‘Arsene…'_ Akira calls weakly, reaching for his other self. 

_‘I am here.’_ Arsene murmurs from within him. _‘Focus, Trickster. You must not fall to despair.’_

 _‘Arsene… I can’t…!’_ Akira bites down a sob as he directly takes the Eigaon aimed at him. _‘It hurts, Arsene… He wants to kill me… I can’t…’_

 _‘You must.’_ Arsene replies, gentle yet firm. _‘You are the only one who can save him, Trickster.’_

 _‘He won’t listen to me!’_ Akira argues. 

_‘Then you must fight until he does.’_ Arsene answers. _'_ _Fight, Trickster. If you are to save him, you must fight.’_

“What’s wrong, Joker? Getting tired?” Akechi sneers. “Then how about you go to sleep… _forever_! **_Laeveteinn!_** ” 

“No!!” 

Akira feels himself getting shoved to the side by a fluffy paw and watches in horror as an Almighty attack meant for him descends upon Morgana instead. The attack hits, leaving Morgana shaken and barely standing. Akira’s head is buzzing, his body numb. He watches dazedly as Ann desperately casts Diarahan on Morgana and Morgana, still dizzy and disorientated from the sudden jump from nearly dying to fully recovered, shoots Akira a weak thumbs-up, trying to reassure Akira that he was okay when he was clearly not. 

Akira swallows, and he stands.

The fire inside him, lighting his nerves, continues to burn, but Akira draws strength from it, letting the blazefire rage. _‘Arsene.’_ He calls again, tightening his grip on his dagger. 

_‘I am here, Trickster.'_ Arsene murmurs. 

_‘Let’s go,_ Arsene!” 

Akira summons, and Arsene answers. 

Together, persona and thief lunges, Akira’s dagger meeting Akechi’s sword in a clash as Arsene pirouettes, heels slamming into Loki’s weapon. Akira pushes hard against Akechi’s sword, sliding his dagger down the length of the blade to deflect it. Akechi doesn’t stumble as Akira had hoped, spinning fast enough to slam his sword down on Akira, who ducks deftly under the blade. He hooks a leg around Akechi’s and _yanks_ , sending them both stumbling to the ground. Akechi, still fueled by desperation, recovers _faster_ , pinning Akira to the ground with his blade pressing down to Akira’s throat, stopped only by Akira’s own dagger clashing against it. 

_‘Trickster. You cannot defeat him under the Call of Chaos.’_ Arsene warns. _'Y_ _ou must remove Loki’s influence.’_

“Joker!” 

“A-All out attack!” Akira grunts. “Take down Loki...!” 

Arsene hisses and uses Loki’s sword as a leverage to duck aside as a stream of fire slams into Loki, courtesy of Carman. The Chaos Persona snarls but the Phantom Thieves do not give him any chance to recover. Zorro sends a gust of wind, fanning the fire before Goemon cools it down with a blast of ice, instantly freezing half of Loki’s body and his weapon. Flames gather in his hand only for it to dissipate as Captain Kidd aims a zap of lightning at said hand, while Milady disorientates him with a psychokinesis attack, leaving him wide open for Anat to drop a nuclear bomb on him. 

“Kill them, Loki!” Akechi snarls as Akira commands, “Ravage him, _Arsene_!!” 

Arsene easily dodges the sword a weakened Loki swings at him and spins again, slamming his heels into the Chaos Persona, who howls and disappears into flames, reforming into a mask, now broken and crimson, on Akechi. The disbelief at Loki’s defeat causes Akechi to let his guard down for a split second, but that moment was enough for Akira to knock Akechi’s weapon far away and pin Akechi to the ground by his wrists as Arsene dismisses, reforming as a mask and resting on top of Akira’s head. 

“Akechi…” Akira gasps tiredly. “Stop.” 

“Don’t you dare look at me with _pity_!” Akechi spits. 

“Is that what you think? That I’m _pitying_ you?” Akira snaps. “I’m trying to _save_ you, you _moron_!!” 

“Don’t make me laugh!” Akechi scoffs. “I’m not your teammate! Once Shido confesses his crimes, you’ll all be heroes. As for me, people will find out my past deductions were just charade. My fame and trust will vanish.”

“I see… So you were turning people psychotic, then solving the cases yourself.” Morgana remarks from behind them. 

“In the end… I couldn’t be special…” Akechi laughs bitterly.

“Dude, you’re more than special…” 

The other Phantom Thieves nod and join in but Akira didn’t pay attention, focusing more on Akechi, who was looking more and more bewildered as the Phantom Thieves expressed their thoughts. Akira watches as that bewilderness slowly changes to disbelief. 

“You’re all… idiots, aren’t you…” Akechi says, but there was no bite to his words, no heat in his voice. 

“ _You’re_ the idiot.” Akira says before he realises it and anger seeps back into Akechi’s face. 

_'Good,’_ Akira thinks because he is still angry. 

Angry at Shido for having a fucking huge ego and enough power to fuck over whoever he wants. Angry at whoever the fuck thought was appropriate to set up their fates like this. Angry at fucking Akechi for being so egoistic, stubborn and downright moronic. Akira nearly died for this idiot and this is what he gets, stuck beating the literal shit out of his fucking soulmate to save him because this is just how his life goes, isn’t it. 

(Dimly, Akira wonders if it’s considered self-harm to punch your soulmate when the pain comes back to you.

 _‘...Trickster, focus.’_ Arsene murmurs.)

“Excuse me?!” Akechi spits, eyes flashing with rage. 

“Did I knock you deaf? I said, _you’re the fucking idiot._ ” Akira hisses. “You think you’re not special? Well, newsflash, _honey_ , you’ve won the fucking lottery for how stupid someone can be and that’s pretty fucking _special_.” Akira wants to take Akechi and violently shake him because maybe _then_ an iota of sense might get into him. “You _infuriate_ me so damn much with your fucking pride. I don’t believe, for even a single second, that you don’t know what that bastard will do to you once he wins the election. Not only will he kill you, he will make it so fucking tragic and then what will you be? Just another sob story to serve as a stepping stone for him to his goals. But you will do it anyway, won’t you, because your goddamn pride won’t let you otherwise.” 

“Shut up…!” Akechi hisses and Akira laughs.

“Is that all you’ve got, sweetheart? That’s _weak_.” He coos mockingly. “You have nothing else to say because I’ve hit all the points, haven’t I?” Akechi visibly grits his teeth and says nothing and somehow _that_ is the thing that makes Akira _crumble_. “I am tired of waiting for you to get it into your dumb skull that I— that _we_ are not your enemy.” He hisses, voice thick with emotion.

 _‘He’s coming.’_ Arsene warns. 

_‘I know.’_

“And I’m sick of that bastard taking my life away from me.” Akira says, lifting his head to meet dull red eyes across the room. “There,” He exhales in a defeated tone. “Your very own personal hitman.” 

Akechi follows his gaze and chuckles humourlessly. 

“That’s… Shido’s cognitive version of Akechi!” Morgana exclaims. 

“The defeated traitor and the leader of the Phantom Thieves together…” The cognitive double says, drawing his gun at Akechi. “Captain Shido’s orders… He has no need for losers. This is earlier than expected but… Well, getting rid of you before or after the election doesn't really matter all that much.” He glances at Akira and smiles eerily. “At least you accomplished one useful thing I suppose. Perhaps I’ll get rid of the leader of the Phantom Thieves first.” 

“If you’re implying that I can’t beat you, you’re sorely mistaken.” Akira answers sweetly. 

“Oh?” The fake hums. “And here I thought you would be heartbroken over this puppet killing you again.” 

“Try me, _bitch_.” Akira’s smile is razor-sharp.

“As you wish.” The cognition says, four shadows appearing behind him. “But first… How about a deal? My orders are to take care of this puppet. Hand him over to me and I’ll be nice and let you go. Or…” The fake smiles again as he turns his attention to Akechi. “You can kill the leader of the Phantom Thieves and live.” 

Akira feels the press of the gun against his chest before he hears it. He looks down and, unsurprisingly, sees Akechi’s gun aimed at him. Akira hears the Phantom Thieves shouting behind them, but he continues staring at Akechi calmly. 

“Your aim’s off by an inch, honey.” Akira says, lifting a hand and adjusting the gun’s muzzle to right above his heart. 

_‘Punching his cognitive double doesn’t count as self-harm right?’_ Akira ponders. 

_‘...Trickster.’_ Arsene deadpans. 

The cognition laughs, “Yes… That’s the you our captain wishes to see!” 

“Don’t misunderstand…” Akechi says, still staring right into Akira’s eyes. “You’re the one who’s going to disappear!” 

Akira lifts his upper body up and Akechi twists, aiming and shooting at his replica while Akira summons Black Frost. A Mabufudyne easily freezes the shadows and Akira switches over to Kali, smashing the frozen enemies to pieces with Vorpal Blade. By the time the imposter recovers, standing up shakingly, Akira is already up on his feet, idly adjusting his gloves. The pain in his side that breaks through the adrenaline-fuelled fog in his mind is sudden and sharp. Akira looks down at himself, checking himself for injury. He finds none, and is almost confused but then it hits him—

 _‘...Oh.’_ Akira thinks numbly as he turns to see Akechi, still on the ground where Akira had left him. Akechi is clutching the exact same side, down right to the _location_ , as he groans quietly in pain. _‘Oh.’_ Akira thinks again, his blood turning to ice and fire all at once.

“You bastard…” The cognition spits, glaring with barely-concealed hatred.

“What’s wrong? I thought you wanted to kill me.” Akira says, his voice coming out much calmer than he actually feels on the inside. Akira _stalks_ towards the fraud, each step measured and even, as he lifts a hand to slip his mask in place. “I’m here for the reaping.” 

The fake snarls, raising his gun but Akira was _faster_. He reaches out and twists the hand holding the gun, letting the weapon clatter to the ground as he uses his free hand to sock the cognition across his face. Arsene sighs deeply at the back of his mind, but Akira ignores it. He turns around and feels pride swelling up within him at the sight of Ann supporting Akechi up to a sitting position while Ryuji stands in front of them with his weapon drawn. The rest of the Phantom Thieves are still standing where they were, glancing uncomfortably between Akechi and Akira. Behind him, the cognitive double seethes and screeches, spitting curses and death threats at Akira and Akechi alike. Akira ignores him, striding back towards the real Akechi as he quietly holds a hand over his mask.

The look on Akira’s face was one that no one had ever seen before—it was cold, emotionless and downright _chilling_. 

“ **...Tear him apart, Arsene.** ” 

His mask melts away and his persona materialises once more, red and black flames gathering around his hand. Arsene spins with a flourish and as his wings spread, the cursed flames devour the fake entirely, leaving nothing but shadow fragments that quickly dissolved into nothing. His command completed, Arsene tilts his top hat with a clawed hand and disappears in blue flames that resettle on Akira’s face. 

“You must have enjoyed that.” Akechi says, when Akira kneels down in front of him. 

“A lot, actually, thanks for noticing.” Akira snarks. “Be glad I didn’t punch _your_ pretty face.” 

“My wha—”

Akira ignores him and instead lets his sight trail to the injury Akechi is hiding with a clawed hand. Gently, as though he is afraid of spooking a wild animal, Akira reaches out and shifts Akechi’s hand, revealing the gunshot wound that is still oozing sluggishly. (Someone—Ann, Akira thinks faintly—gasps as they finally notices the injury that, amidst the dark lighting and Akechi’s dark suit, even Akira would have missed if not for the fact that he’d _felt_ it.) Wordlessly, Akira summons Parvati and heals the damage with a Diarahan. 

“We’re going to change Shido’s heart.” Akira says quietly. “It’s up to you if you want to participate, but one way or another, you’re coming back with us.” He stands and extends a gloved hand.

Akechi looks at the outstretched hand for a long time, a look of barely-hidden confusion on his face. “...I’ve lost. Do what you want.” Akechi mutters finally, taking Akira’s hand and letting the other pull him up. 

Akira smiles crookedly at their connected hands. “Then let’s go.”

Akira is surprised Sojiro didn’t drop the glass he was cleaning when he walked in with Morgana, Futaba and _Akechi_ in tow. When they had left to infiltrate Shido’s palace earlier in the day, Sojiro probably wasn’t expecting Akira to bring back the person who betrayed them _and_ shot him in the head.

“Boss.” Akira greets tiredly. “Sorry, but can you close shop early today?” 

Sojiro glances between him and Akechi, a hint of worry in his eyes, but he nods and steps out from behind the counter. 

“Thank you.” Akira breathes. 

“Let me know if you need anything.” Sojiro offers as he leaves the cafe with a somewhat-reluctant Futaba and Morgana. 

Silence falls between them. Wordlessly, Akechi moves to sit in one of the booths instead of his usual seat at the bar while Akira slides in behind the counter and starts the brewing process. The motions are so familiar to him at his point that Akira barely needs to pay any attention to them, so he lets his mind wander. 

He’d calm down considerably in the past few hours spent on securing the infiltration route, fighting off the Phantom Thieves’ protests when he announced he was bringing Akechi back to Leblanc with him, then having to actually travel back from the Diet Building. Not to mention having to convince Morgana to stay with Futaba _and_ get her to turn off the bugs on Leblanc for tonight. All while Akechi quietly followed along, trying to seem as though he wasn’t actually there. 

“Here.” Akira says, placing Akechi’s coffee in front of him. 

“...Thanks.” Akechi murmurs. Akira hovers hesitantly, strangely nervous, and turns to walk back to the kitchen when Akechi says tiredly, “Sit the fuck down, Kurusu. What happened to all that vigor from earlier? Don’t have it unless you’re Joker?” 

Akira sees the obvious jab but takes it anyway, sitting down across the booth with a huff. “So. In the interest of transparency, I should let you know that I felt every bit of the Call of Chaos.”

 _‘...Subtle.’_ Arsene says as Akechi chokes. (Akira mentally shoos his persona away.)

“Maybe that was skipping a few too many steps.” Akira hums thoughtfully as Akechi glares, gaze screaming murder. “Going back a few it is.” Akira nods and, as though a switch was flipped, all humour and deflection slips away. “How long have you known about us?” 

Akira didn’t need to clarify; he knows Akechi is aware of what exactly he refers to, but the detective stays silent, taking small sips of his coffee as he stalls. Akira lets him. 

“...Not long.” Akechi eventually answers. “It was your… interrogation.” Akira clenches a fist involuntarily at the memory. “...I’m not sorry.”

“Good.” Akira says through clenched teeth. “If you said you’re sorry I would have punched you.” 

“I thought you said you didn’t want to punch my pretty face.” Akechi snarks. 

“You don’t need to show your pretty face in public for a few more days, it’s fine.” A hint of pink spreads across Akechi’s face at the repeated mention of his _‘pretty face’_ and Akira takes a moment to engrave that image in his mind. “Also, I said be glad I didn’t punch your pretty face, not that I didn’t want to. I have to admit, punching your cognitive double was _very_ cathartic.” 

“A-At any rate.” Akechi deflects. “When did _you_ know about our bond?”

“Earlier than you.” Akira answers. “You were trying to show off so you tried to hide it from us, but you were still injured on the back of your arm when we left the Mementos. I felt it when we came out.” He turns away then and continues with false casualness, “And besides, if nothing else, it’d be hard to miss after _somebody_ literally gets shot.” Akira drifts a hand mindlessly over where he had felt the wound—an action that didn’t escape the detective. 

“Yes… I suppose that would be hard to miss…” Akechi murmurs, before the rest of what Akira said catches on to him and he visibly balks. “You’ve known about our bond before we cleared Sae’s palace, and you’ve known about my betrayal even before that.” He says, a hint of incredulity in his voice. “What do you _not_ know, Kurusu?” 

And Akira answers, quietly and sincerely, “Your _true_ feelings.”

Akechi’s mouth opens and closes a few times, before he finally settles on, “I’ve literally tried to kill you _twice_. Do you _have_ a masochistic streak?” 

“You want to try that again, sweetheart?” Akira smiles sweetly as he twitches. 

“Kurusu.” Akechi says, his voice strained. “I don’t… understand you. Soulmate or not— no. _Because_ we are soulmates. Both times I tried to kill you I was aware of our connection. And not just _you_ . Do you even know how many people I’ve killed for that bastard?” Akechi says, a twisted smile on his lips. “And you… you want to _save_ me? Are you an idiot?” 

“Why do you think you can’t be saved?” Akira snaps. “Why can’t you accept that I want to help you?”

“I said it earlier; I don’t need your fucking pity.” Akechi spits bitterly.

“And _I_ said it earlier, I’m not pitying you!” Akira shouts, hands slamming onto the booth table as he stands before he even realises. “I’m saving you because you don’t deserve _all_ the blame for all the atrocious shit you did! I’m saving you because _I’m_ selfish, because I refuse to let that bald bastard take anything else away from me! I’m saving you because even when you were doing your fucking best to kill me, all I could think about was how I refuse to let us to end like that!” Akira is gasping, his voice tight with emotions as he runs a hand through his hair agitatedly. “I’m saving you because _I’m in love with you, you fucking asshole_!” 

A long, charged silence follows as Akechi stares, wide-eyed, at Akira. The part of Akira’s mind not yet taken over by the embarrassment creeping up on him idly notes that he has never seen Akechi’s eyes so clear and _raw_. 

“Has anyone ever told you you’re terrible with decisions?” Akechi croaks. 

“Morgana. All the time.” Akira rasps, heart still beating too hard, too fast, like it’s about to jump out of his ribcage. “Akechi… _Please_ … Trust me.” 

“...You were right.” Akechi exhales deeply, ignoring the Joker-esque grin on Akira’s face, “A part of me knew Shido would kill me soon, but I didn’t care. I was determined to bring that bastard down or die trying. I couldn’t— _wouldn’t_ let anyone get in the way of my revenge. Not even you.” Akechi looks up, staring deeply into Akira’s eyes. “Even knowing all that, you would offer me your trust?” 

“Goro,” Akira says, never breaking his gaze even as he reaches out and grasps a leather-covered hand. “ _Trust me._ ” 

“...You are a fool, Kurusu Akira.” Akechi whispers, but he squeezes the hand holding his anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> Soulmate AU of the "feeling your soulmate’s pain variety". In the Metaverse, their mask and outfit acts as a barrier, so soulmates don't feel any injuries gained while _inside_ the Metaverse, unless said injury is something life threatening or extreme emotional duress is involved.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
